When Girl Meets the Gun Shot
Week one in Ocean City, New Jersey.
It hasn’t quite occurred to me yet that I actually am living and fulfilling a lifelong dream: living 2 blocks from the beach in a quaint ocean side town.
And isn’t it just like God to give us more than we could even ask or imagine? Along with walking barefoot everywhere and working at a beachwear shop complete with ocean view (fitting right into the beachside hippie culture), I’m being taught about the Lord daily, sharing His infinite love with the lost (also daily), and am surrounded by 99 college students who walk alongside me towards Jesus despite our brokenness.
Oh, I’m also on the worship team here after a crazy audition. (I seem to have a lot of those…)
I am definitely basking in it.
The typical day in Ocean City has been breakfast on our wrap around porch, one to two hours of teaching, lunch with my Bible study group, worship, and actually evangelizing. Yes, walking up to strangers and asking if they want to talk about spiritual things.
I’ve been out twice; once with my dear boy and with another time with one of my roommates. Each time the conversation allowed us to speak truth into our listeners lives and to give them a positive experience with the people of God.
Others on the project team have already connected with locals to meet up at later dates and discuss Jesus further.
Of course, there has been other awesomeness like a 6:45am run while watching the sunrise on the beach, body surfing in the negative degrees Atlantic, hearing stories of people responding to the Gospel of Jesus, and eating at every hole-in-the-wall perfect restaurant.
Obviously, there are so many praises. I’m blessed beyond measure to have 4 amazing roommates and to be surrounded by the honesty and compassion of 30+ girls who are becoming more dear to me daily.
For me, the Gun Shot to the start of this crazy race began when God confirmed He would be digging into my heart, healing me, and answering a lot of my crazy questions with the very first teaching.
This summer, I’m looking to experience and better understand love.
I’m doing my best to find out how I’ve changed due to college.
And, I’m allowing Jesus to plan my days and be open to whatever other growth He has for me.
I’m terrified of what He will confront me with. But comforted knowing He will lead me gently and will give me bravery.
For example: we had a women’s gathering Saturday night and we all confessed to each other the sins and baggage we were walking into the summer with. We thought it was important to tell everyone because hiddenness hides healing.
Tears were shed and wailings were heard as we all cut through the secrets we had kept for so long about sexual sin, comparison anxieties, abuse at home, and our indifference towards discovering more of God. It was beautiful to see the bravery and to know we were defeating Satan right there and then as our secrets became known and we received grace.
This is only a glimpse I’m sure of what else this summer will hold for me and everyone here. But I couldn’t be happier, I couldn’t be more nervous, and I couldn’t be more ready to throw myself headlong into Jesus so He can be made known to many, many more who walk the beaches of New Jersey.